


Like a Precious Blossom Unfurling

by jacksparrow589



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Roody, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, have i mentioned fluff yet, like cotton candy I swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27854022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/jacksparrow589
Summary: Ruby was finding it hard to get to her feet, let alone to walk out the door. She wasn't courageous like Anne. She didn't have Diana's elegant presence, Josie's forthright boldness, Jane's practiced indifference, or Tillie's boisterous charm; she was just sweet, innocent Ruby Gillis, always looking for some sign that her prince had noticed her in her shy, wistful tower.Moody, unlikely though it had once seemed, had become that prince.--------Timid is the start of Ruby and Moody's love, and it is all the more precious for it.Takes place the day after the entrance exam.
Relationships: Ruby Gillis/Moody Spurgeon MacPherson
Comments: 20
Kudos: 34





	Like a Precious Blossom Unfurling

**Author's Note:**

> So… Got a little buzzed off wine the other night, remembered that there was [an adorable animation for Chiisana Koi no Uta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woorod1gJ_w), listened to it and watched the video for like 15 minutes straight, and… uh, this happened. (I mean, it took longer than 15 minutes to write, but the seed was well-planted by the time I stopped.)
> 
> You're welcome? ^^;
> 
> If this is a little less well-edited than normal, I was writing on my phone while buzzed late at night which is a TERRIBLE idea that I heartily do NOT recommend despite the cuteness that resulted.

Ruby stared at the cap in her hands.

It had seemed like a good idea last night, secreting it into her basket and bringing it home. All she had to do was make an excuse to leave and deliver it.

But in the light and (slightly headachy) clarity of the morning, Ruby was finding it hard to get to her feet, let alone to walk out the door. She wasn't courageous like Anne. She didn't have Diana's elegant presence, Josie's forthright boldness, Jane's practiced indifference, or Tillie's boisterous charm; she was just sweet, innocent Ruby Gillis, always looking for some sign that her prince had noticed her in her shy, wistful tower.

Moody, unlikely though it had once seemed, had become that prince. He'd lent her his handkerchief that day when Anne had been explaining Gilbert's absence due to Mary's illness, knowing it would be ink-stained, and while she'd washed it as thoroughly as she could before returning it (with the tiniest _M_ she could manage stitched into a corner), she'd seen that the faint but still tell-tale gray marks remained on it as the weeks passed.

And the day of the dance practice, Ruby could swear she had been transported, and that she'd come upon her prince in a glade as he strummed his lute (the banjo was _fine_ , to be certain, but it wasn't what princes played). She'd seen the way the music affected Anne and Gilbert, and she was still astonished that nobody else had seemed to understand or feel it.

And _then_ , last night, he'd taken her hand. Several times, in fact. It had been warm no matter how cold the night air had gotten, and even as he desperately clung to her hand during Red Rover, it had still been gentle somehow. (Ruby had complained about her wrist hurting at one point, and she thought Moody, after gently massaging the spot, had been about to kiss it, but surely she'd just been imagining it. She was known for her flights of fancy, after all.)

She hadn't been so drunk that she didn't remember what she'd done or why, but she was finding that her courage had all but deserted her.

 _If I wait any longer…_ Ruby sighed and grabbed her hat, carefully scrunching Moody's cap so she could sneak it back outside unnoticed if her mother saw her. Luckily, her mother didn't appear when Ruby called that she was going to visit a friend, and Ruby didn't wait around for questions—she already had enough of them herself.

* * *

_Someone must have stuck Moody's cap in my basket as a prank. I'm sorry I didn't think to check before I left. I'd like to apologize to him._ Ruby had rehearsed the excuse what must have been a hundred times on the walk from the Gillis house. It was true enough that she felt she could say it and not falter or feel too much guilt.

She had to take five steadying breaths before attempting to knock on the door, then another three after she raised her fist, only to lower it and consider that maybe she should just wait until they got their exam results… No; she was going to do this.

"Ruby Gillis! What brings you here?" Moody's mother smiled quizzically.

"I-I-I… Moody, he, um… His hat—someone put his hat in my basket. At the celebration last night. I think it was a prank. Is he… here?" Ruby looked past the older woman.

"Oh, you are such a nice girl for returning it! He's gone to look for it." Moody's mother held out her hand. "I'll let him know when he returns."

Ruby pulled the hat back. "Oh! I'd rather… take it to him. That way, he won't waste more time looking for it!" she reasoned brightly. "And I can apologize."

"How considerate of you to apologize for something that wasn't your fault!" Moody's mother beamed at her. "I suspect he's either at the church or the Ruins."

"I'll go look for him. Thank you!" Ruby only just managed not to sprint off the doorstep. It took several panicked steps for her to realize that maybe this had worked out even better than she'd ever planned. She slowed down for only a few steps, then picked her pace back up, eager to find Moody.

* * *

Ruby hoped she didn't look a mess. She'd had to do rather a lot of walking on top of being nervous, and now, as she approached the Ruins, she was _definitely_ nervous.

She'd cleared the treeline, and in the distance, she could see someone scrounging around. _Moody._

Ruby paused, took a deep breath, and called—

* * *

Where was his cap? Moody hadn't realized until this morning that it was missing. He'd never had a particularly conscientious reputation, especially not with his mother, but he'd never misplaced his cap before—not outside the house, anyway!

Ugh, he was never going to find it. He'd traced the path he'd taken home on his way out here, and it just wasn't anywhere! He should just give up alrea—

" _Moody!_ "

Moody blinked and looked up. "Ruby?" He jogged over to her, stopping just a few paces shy, and running his hand through his hair. "Ruby, what are you doing here?" He grinned just a little. "Leave something behind last night too?"

Ruby shook her head and held out his cap. "I… found it in my basket this morning."

Moody rolled his eyes. "Sorry; that wasn't at you—it was at my own terrible luck and whoever thought it would be funny." He watched Ruby's face fall. "Um, thank you for taking the time to bring it out here."

"I figured I shouldn't let you search for it longer than you had to," Ruby said quietly, still holding the cap out.

Moody took it. His fingers brushed Ruby's, and she snatched her hand back like she'd been burned. Moody wondered if it was the calluses from playing the banjo—he hardly noticed them anymore, but for someone like Ruby, he could understand if they were jarring. "Thanks," he said again, situating his cap on his head. Ruby looked like she was ready to burst into tears. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry I'm always taking your things," Ruby quavered.

Moody's brows knit together. "You… aren't?"

"No, I am: you had to lend me your handkerchief that one time, and I must have borrowed your pencil at least once a week the past few months… I even accidentally took your glass of lemonade at Miss Stacy's that one day!"

Moody held up his hands in a gesture to slow Ruby down. "Ruby, I really don't mind; after all, we've known each other forever, and—and I like you a lot…" He gulped. "I mean, we're friends, right? Why shouldn't I help if you need it?"

Ruby looked less inclined towards tears, but she was flushing in a way she rarely did. Had she taken _I like you a lot_ to mean what he'd really meant when he'd said it? Was that upsetting to her? They'd held hands last night, but there had been quite a lot of moonshine involved—

"If that's all, I'll be off!" Ruby blurted. She turned and started walking away quickly.

"Ruby…" Moody's voice was barely above a murmur. He started after her and tried again, louder this time: " _Ruby!_ "

Ruby stopped and turned to face him, tears once again threatening to fall. Moody's steps to reach her now were shorter, slower, and more cautious. "That's not all," he told her gently, still advancing. His heart was pounding, and his voice shook just a little as he took one of her hands in one of his. "Ruby, I'd _like_ to call on you. Properly. Because you deserve that, even though I'm not ever going to be wealthy or dignified like you deserve—"

Ruby cut him off. "I took your hat on purpose."

Moody blinked, confused. "What?"

"I took…" Ruby took a deep breath. "I took your hat on purpose. I wanted to see you."

"To see me?" Moody echoed, but Ruby was still speaking, if haltingly.

"I'm not… as graceful or as sophisticated… but it was the only way I could think to get you to do this—" she gently squeezed Moody's hand "—again because… because the school burned down, and we don't have a take-notice board anymore…" She trailed off, seeming to realize how close they were.

Moody was just now realizing it, too, but for whatever reason, he wasn't particularly nervous anymore.

He wasn't about to let himself start to be, either. Slowly enough that Ruby could move away if she chose, Moody leaned in, taking Ruby's other hand. He was scant inches away when Ruby shifted, moving just a little closer and lifting her face to Moody's as her eyes fluttered shut.

He only just brushed his lips against Ruby's before pulling back. Ruby took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Moody?" she whispered.

Moody licked his lips nervously. "Yeah?"

Ruby's cheeks were already flushed, but they pinked just a little more. "Please do that again? Only—" Ruby cleared her throat, but her next words were so quiet that even she probably couldn't hear herself. "Only… more?"

For whatever reason, though he knew some couples exchanged more than a chaste peck, it hadn't occurred to Moody until now that he might be part of such a couple. "A-ah…" He dropped Ruby's hands for a moment, only to realize that that was the exact wrong thing to do when Ruby's face fell. "No, Ruby, I didn't mean to—I just—I'm glad you liked it; I did, too! I just didn't… think this far ahead?"

Tears were falling down Ruby's cheeks now, but they were from laughter. "Moody, you're not supposed to _think_ about kissing!"

"You're not?" _Oh God, there are rules…_

Ruby wiped her eyes. "I mean… I suppose I wouldn't really know either, but people in st—people say that it's something you're just supposed to… enjoy."

"Okay…" Moody was more self-conscious than ever. Maybe people who knew how to kiss didn't have to think about it, but other than just now, he'd only ever kissed Diana the once during that game of spin-the-bottle, and it hadn't exactly been romantic. Exciting, but not romantic.

 _I should hold her hands. That's romantic, right? She said she wanted me to, anyway._ Moody reached out to take Ruby's hands, but she still had her hands raised to wipe away her tears. Instead, Moody gently cupped her elbows, pulling her just a little closer as he stepped forward to meet her.

Their lips met again, a little more forcefully this time as Ruby rose onto her toes and—Moody realized with an entirely pleasant start—grabbed the front of Moody's waistcoat to steady herself. Moody moved his lips against Ruby's experimentally, hoping this was right. It felt nice, anyway, and Ruby wasn't pulling away. If anything, using Moody to hold herself steady was serving to pull him closer…

* * *

Whether it was seconds or minutes later, neither of them could be entirely sure, but Ruby slowly lowered herself back onto her flat feet. She smiled contentedly as Moody, unable to let her go just yet, dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.

That was, until she remembered: "I told your mother I'd come find you so that you could get home faster!"

"We haven't been here _that_ long," Moody reminded her. _It just feels like it._ "Anyway, I should… do the polite thing and walk you home? Unless you don't want me to yet…"

"I do!" Ruby assured him hurriedly. "I definitely do. There's almost nothing I'd like more."

"Almost?"

Ruby pulled herself back up onto her toes to give Moody one last kiss before before repeating softly, "Almost."

Moody grinned and tucked Ruby's arm through his, and they started on their way home.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I had way too much fun with this. Way, way too much. Like, I was gonna do Shirbert, and then I was like, "this has WAY more of a Roody vibe", so I went for it, and I think it worked out. It was originally going to be a little more musically centered, but it tickled me to think of drunk Ruby being like, "This is a fantastic idea what could possibly go wrong" and then kind of regretting it the next morning.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
